Page 28 of Waiting for You (Balsam Cliffs #3)

Anna is practically dragging me into the kitchen. She pushes me onto a stool while she busies herself getting coffee cups out.

“Spill it, girl,” she demands.

“Uh. Hunter and I are together?” I ask, leaving it up to question.

“You are? Or you aren’t? Because you don’t sound very sure.” An eyebrow pops up as she looks at my face, searching for the truth.

“Oh, she’s definitely mine. Don’t let there be any question about that.” Hunter joins us a moment later.

“I knew it! I told Emma over the summer that you loved Evelyn!”

“And how did you know that?” Hunter questions her.

“Sweetheart, this ain’t my first rodeo with love.

One, I saw the way you looked at her. Two, you’re a terrible liar.

I knew from the get go that you didn’t hate her, but you did hate Neil because you were jealous.

Three, neither of you is very secretive or sneaky.

I knew you were dating in high school, sneaking into my barn and down to my cove.

But then you, dumb boy, joined the military.

When she up and left, I knew something happened.

I knew two hearts were breaking without the other but no one wanted to fill me in. So now, you’re going to fill me in.”

She pushes two coffee cups, creamer, and sugar across the large island. So we settle in to tell the whole damn story.

At certain parts, she reaches over and smacks Hunter upside the head. She claims they’re long overdue and he deserves a harder hit, but since he seems to have made it up to me, she didn’t hit him harder.

“So does that mean I’m getting a third daughter-in-love?” She gushes over the most recent revelations.

“Uh…” I stutter and stare at Hunter, waiting for his response.

“How about I’ll let you know when that happens because I’ll need help picking out a proper ring. Not some gumball machine ring.”

She runs over to Hunter and pulls him into a hug. “I’m just so happy for you. I knew that smile was on your face for a reason lately. You haven’t been this happy since…well… before.”

She stops herself but we just dished out everything we had gossip wise.

And it’s not the first time I’ve wondered about Hunter’s time in the military.

I’ll have to ask him later. Admittedly I’ve been a little selfish since I’ve been back.

I’ve made the whole thing about me. Shame eats at the butterflies in my belly.

I squeeze his hand to comfort me as much as him. A small smile from him tells me that he knows I know what she’s referring to. And that he isn’t going to be excited to talk about it.

“Okay, enough sappy stuff for tonight, let’s go get our candy on!” Anna sashays out of the kitchen, ready to pass out candy to the little kids of Balsam Cliffs.

Hunter steps into my space between my legs when the kitchen door swings closed.

Looking up at him, he tangles his fingers in my hair, holding my face to him as he stares into my soul.

“Ask me.”

“What?” I mumble.

“Ask me about what she meant. About my time on deployment.” His breath catches on the last word. I know it’s not easy for him to talk about.

I gulp loudly. “We don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

A single tear starts to form in the corner of his eye. “I do.”

“What happened, Hunt?” I loop my hands around his waist and pull him into me.

“We were on patrol. It was so quiet. I should have known, it’s never that quiet.

The village was never quiet.” He stops, sucking in a deep breath.

“The sniper came out of nowhere. Hernandez was right in front of me, cracking a fucking joke about getting laid when he got home. Then he was down on the ground in front of me bleeding out.”

“Hunter.” His name escapes me on a breath, barely audible, but I swear I can hear my heart breaking.

“He was married. She was pregnant when he died. G and I went with the sergeant to meet her at the airport. We brought him home for her. But I’ll never forget her screams. Ever.

It was everything I never wanted for you and here I was living it out.

” Tears flow freely down his cheeks and drip onto me.

“I get it now.” I wipe his tears away with the pad of my thumb. “I understand why you did it.”

“I couldn’t bear it if you were the one in that receiving line. If you and Mom were the ones who were waiting on the tarmac to receive me in a wooden box with a flag draped over it while everyone around you is going on vacation none the wiser.”

I pull him to me as his legs give out and he kneels in front of me. Holding his head tight to my stomach, I stroke his hair with emotion clogging my throat. I can’t imagine being the wife. Or Hunter’s position of having to be the one to bring his body home to his pregnant wife.

“I’m sure that she appreciates you taking care of him and bringing him home.”

“She’s the strongest fucking woman I’ve ever met. Their little girl looks just like him. I went to visit them last year, in Iowa. She’s amazing and sweet and so talented just like her Daddy.” He cries into me.

“I can’t wait to meet them. He sounds like he was an amazing man with an incredible other half.”

He doesn’t answer me. We sit here for I don’t even know how long. Gunnar pokes his head in, but he sees Hunter buried into me. I’m sure he knows exactly what’s happening.

He steps in, his boots clunking on the tile, garnering Hunter’s attention. He stands, wiping at his tears with the sleeve of his hoodie.

“I miss him too, man.” They reach out to each other, hugging each other tight. I have to look away to keep the emotions away. “You don’t have to do this tonight.”

“I’m okay. It just came from nowhere. Mom made a comment, and then I had to tell Eve. I couldn’t hold it in anymore.”

G nods. “Sometimes you just gotta get it out and move on. We can’t live with it bottled up.”

“I know. I’m coming, just give us a minute, cover for me.”

“Will do.” He slaps Hunter on the back and heads back out the way he came.

“Hunter, we can go home. You don’t need to stay tonight if you aren’t feeling up to it.”

“I learned a long time ago not to stop living life. It’s one thing Hernandez taught me, even before his death.

He lived life to the fullest. One thing I admired about him was he got the same warnings I did and he chose to stay, chose to love his woman through it even knowing the risks.

I always felt like a coward around him, but damn it, Eve.

When I saw what it did to her, I knew in my heart I made the right choice.

I had to hurt you to protect you. I’m just grateful that fate gave us a second chance at love. ”

“You’re not a coward. I was crushed, but I can’t imagine getting that call. I can’t imagine wondering every time my phone rang. I forgive you. A hundred times over I forgive you. And I’m beyond grateful you came home safe and I get to love you now.”

I tip my face up to him, wrapping my body around his and leaning on my tiptoes waiting for his lips to meet mine. When they do, I taste the salt of his tears. I let him take everything he needs from me, not pushing him to end the kiss or leave the safety of the kitchen.

He pulls away, looking at me. “Think you could go out and run interference? I just need another minute to get myself ready for the night.”

“Of course.” I lean up again, pecking a quick kiss to his cheek. “I’ll be waiting for you.”

Pushing open the heavy kitchen door, I let it swing closed behind me. Stopping to take a deep breath for myself. Even though it didn’t happen to me, I felt his emotions. Felt his hurt, and hurt for him.

I grab a s’mores stick from the fireplace just to busy my hands while I walk outside, and to give me a purpose and place to go instead of standing there dumbstruck.

Luckily, the three girls are standing by the fire when I come out of the inn. I walk over to them and Willow looks at me with a sad smile. I know that G has told her what just happened in the kitchen.

Willow steps toward me, stopping me before I get to the group.

“I’m here if you need to talk. Gunnar has told me everything about that night and I assume this is the first time you’re hearing it. It can be a lot to process.”

“Thanks. I might take you up on it. It just explains so much about our past. And our future moving forward.”

Emma yells out to us, “Hey! What are you two doing? Get over here and make some s’mores.”

She squeezes my hand and we walk over to the fire together. “They don’t know. I mean Anna and Nathan know. But the other siblings don’t know. Just that G got hurt.”

I nod my head in understanding. I can see not wanting this big group to know something like that. The emotional scars would be dug into all the time.

“Trick-or-treaters will start coming any second. We need to have more stations ready to go.” Violet points to Willow. “You lay out the graham crackers.” Then she turns to me. “And you open all the chocolate and place it on a cracker.”

“Yes ma’am.” I salute her.

Emma rolls her eyes at me and Willow. “You two are such newbies.”

Willow grabs the box of graham crackers. “At least we can talk and they won’t be in our business. So, is this the first time you’re hearing anything about their deployment?”

“Yeah. I don’t think Hunter was ready to tell me, but Anna sort of brought it up. His Dear John letter makes so much more sense now. I can’t imagine having to hear that news from a stranger. It also doesn’t help that he had to live out his worst fear with his friend’s wife.”

I follow behind Willow stacking a piece of chocolate on top of each cracker.

“I can’t imagine the worry Mrs. Hernandez must have felt every day.

Gunnar and I went with Hunter to visit her last summer.

We got to talk and I just feel so bad for her.

But, she is doing well. She has a new boyfriend who worships the ground she walks on.

And makes sure that their little girl knows that her daddy in heaven loves her.

It’s the sweetest thing. Hunter and Gunnar had a hard time at first because her new boyfriend is the fourth guy from the mission with them, Smith.

But in my opinion, that makes him the most qualified to love them, right?

He knew Hernandez, loved him. Now he’s taking care of his family. ”

“That’s so sweet that she has him. I hope they were able to comfort each other. I am glad that Gunnar has you to talk about things with, but Hunter has been going at it alone all this time. Does it still affect G today?”

“When we first got together, he was hesitant to let me see his scars, but I think they were greater for Hunter. He tries to keep up a brave face, but I saw him in Iowa. He needed to know they are okay. He needed you to forgive him too. I think having you understand more of why he did what he did helps a lot.”

I toss a bunch of chocolate wrappers into a large trash can. “How do you know when he is struggling? Do you need to be there for him or does he prefer to be in silence? I guess I don’t know how to navigate this.”

“I think the boys handle it very differently. Hunter was right behind Hernandez, his blood sprayed onto Hunter’s uniform.

Gunnar got the brunt of the shrapnel in his back.

But there are days I can see both of them in their own heads.

But having you with him makes it better.

Just holding him and letting him get it out like you did tonight.

” She tosses the bag of graham crackers onto the table. “I think that should be good right?”

“I have no idea. The last time I was here I was enjoying the s’mores, not creating them.” I chuckle as Willow and I walk over to the candy table.

Hunter came out to join his brothers at some point. Walking over to him, I press my body into his side and wrap my arms around his bicep, resting my head on his shoulder.

“What do I owe the pleasure?” Hunter asks, squeezing me close with his hand on my hip.

“I just want to be near you. Make sure that you’re okay.”

He drops a kiss to my forehead. “I am definitely okay now that I have you.”

We don’t get to talk anymore because, true to Emma’s word, swarms of children come to the inn in droves and for the next few hours, it is nonstop.

But I have never had more fun in my life. And getting to do it with Hunter just makes it that much better.